Leave It At That
by xxDustNight88
Summary: Desperate for help solving a case, Hermione finds herself having to ask someone who she betrayed. Can Loki ignore the past for the sake of their future?


**Author's Note:** So the prompt this was birthed from is one of my very old #PopUpPrompt that I shared in Hermione's Haven nearly a year or so ago. No clue why this popped into my head but I just couldn't bring myself not to write it. It's meant to purely be a one-shot but I am well aware that it leaves much to be desired. Please, if you want more, do refrain from asking until I've finished Empire at the very least. ;) I may have more up my sleeve for this one, but I have too many other things to work on at the moment. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little morsel and leave me lovely feedback! Thank you for reading!

Thank you to Squarepeg72 alpha reading and GaeilgeRua for beta reading. Any other mistakes you find are definitely my own. Much love, xxDustNight

 **Disclaimer:** All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to those at Marvel Studios, Warner Brothers, or J.K. Rowling. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.

 _ **Leave It At That  
**_ **Pairing:** Hermione Granger/Loki Laufeyson _ **  
**_ **Rating: M**  
 **Summary:** _Desperate for help solving a case, Hermione finds herself having to ask someone who she betrayed. Can Loki ignore the past for the sake of their future?  
_ **Prompt:** Devil's advocate. Splinter. Antidote. "He told me I should wait for you here."

. . . .

 _Leave It At That_

"He told me I should wait for you here," she whispered into the semi-darkness. Hermione knew she was no longer alone, even though she could not yet see anyone in the light from her wand tip. There was an odd chill to the room that she couldn't quite explain. Swallowing back her fear because she _knew_ who this man was, she cleared her throat and continued speaking. "Thor sent me. He said you could help."

"And _why_ ," said a low, deep voice she knew all too well, "should I help _you_?"

"Loki," she said, her voice catching ever so slightly as pain tore through her heart. "Let's not do this now. I need your help so I'm here asking for it. Can't we leave it at that?"

Loki scoffed, the sound familiar and yet entirely unexpected, all the same. There was the shuffle of soft boots on the cave floor and then he was revealed to her just beyond the light of her wand. "You and I know that we always had a problem leaving well enough alone."

"Yes, and it got us into this mess," Hermione replied a bit snarkily as she waved her hand between them. "If you'd been honest with me from the start about who you truly were, then I would have _never_ -" With a gasp, she cut herself off, not wanting to go down that line of conversation. That's not what she was here to take care of. She needed Loki's help and that was it. What did it matter that simply being in his presence made every beat of her heart feel like there was a splinter tearing it to shreds?

"I do believe we have unfinished business, as they say," Loki teased, crossing his arms and smirking at her in the darkness. He laughed then, cackling at the entirety of the situation. "However, I will relent and allow you to tell me why you've sought me out after all this time."

"There's a Dark wizard attacking London," Hermione explained, carefully meeting Loki's eyes. "My team and I have done everything in our power to try and put a stop to the attacks, but we're at a loss. We need a particular skill set that I believe only you have. Will you help us?"

Tilting his head, Loki considered Hermione's proposition. The fact that she was standing here in front of him right now was a testament to just how truly desperate she was. He didn't want to play upon that and further sever their ties. She'd done that enough on her own. Currently, there was no hope for them, but maybe in the future…

Deciding he might as well get some sort of sick enjoyment out of the situation, Loki closed the space between them and glared down into her round face. "I never lied to you, Hermione," he whispered, the words harsh in the silence around them.

"You withheld information, Loki, and that's just as bad," Hermione said with a sigh. "You very easily could have told me your origins… Who you truly were. But you chose not to and endangered my life."

"That was never my intention," Loki admitted, running a hand through his tangled hair.

"I know, but it was enough to cause me to feel betrayed. I did what I had to do in order to make things right again." Hermione swallowed and then glared up at him. "And now I'm doing what I have to again by coming to you with this request."

"This will not be the antidote to that what severed our hearts, Hermione," Loki whispered, the words harsh against her lips. He was not going to play devil's advocate. Not right now at least. His fingers carded gently through her curls before slowly tightening until it was almost painful. His emerald eyes peered down into chocolate ones with an intensity that made her skin feel aflame.

"No," replied Hermione, suddenly feeling rather bold. "But it's a start."

"Then," Loki said as he took a step closer to her much smaller body, "I will help you, but at a price."

She smirked. "I expected no less. What is it that you want in return? I can't offer you amnesty or your freedom. I have nothing of substance to give you for your help. Just the gratitude of the entire Wizarding community."

"What I ask for is far more precious than my freedom, _dear_ one," Loki told her, eyes lingering on her lips briefly. He had no plans of kissing or even touching her. Not today anyway. There was too much bad blood between them. "I simply require you to answer one question. Truthfully."

Biting her lip, Hermione considered his request. She knew what he would ask for, at least, she suspected what it would be anyway. They'd skirted the topic long enough and she knew that, eventually, he would want the full and honest truth. Not that he allowed her such a privilege when they were dating all those years ago. Nodding, she said, "Fine. What is it you wish to know?"

"Did you ever truly love me?"

His words fell heavily on her shoulders; so much so that she thought she would crumple from the weight of them. Somehow, she remained standing, her eyes glaring up into his. She wanted to lash out, to push him aside and run back the way she came. Only, if she did that, then there would be no hope for her world or even for her and Loki. She supposed that after what she'd done, he did deserve to know at least how she felt about it all.

Pulling her thoughts together, Hermione took a deep breath and prepared herself for the inevitable heartache she was about to feel. For so long she'd managed to keep her feelings at bay, living day to day like her time with Loki never happened. Yet here she was, back in his presence and _feeling_ everything she thought was gone forever. Reaching up with one tentative hand, she cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing over the harsh cheekbone.

"Loki, I loved you with all of my heart," she whispered, her heart breaking all over again. "And the worst part? I think that I still do…"

Without waiting for him to reply, Hermione surged forward and captured Loki's lips in a furious kiss. It was more teeth and tongue than anything, a show of dominance that Loki was wholly unprepared for from the witch. He allowed her this moment, even though he wanted to shove her away and disappear into the darkness. Having never been one for emotions and sentiment, Loki felt completely surprised by the way his own heart flipped as they continued to kiss.

Eventually, though, Loki did gently pull away. They were both panting slightly, their eyes heated with memories of lust-filled past. It would be so _easy_ to fall right back into old ways, but Loki was adamant about keeping their past separate from whatever this new arrangement was bound to be. Taking a heaving breath, Loki took a step back so she wouldn't feel so inclined to kiss him again.

"Was that enough of an answer? Can you trust me now?" Hermione asked, feeling far braver than she ought to given the circumstance. "Will you help us?"

"It was never a matter of me trusting you, Hermione," Loki intoned, the corner of his mouth lifting in a slight smirk. "I accept your answer and I believe that we may be able to work together on this mission."

"So, you can you do this? You promise to help us capture this Dark wizard?" she asked with much more courage than she felt at the moment. Swallowing, she hesitated and then thought to add more. "And maybe there's also a chance that you might forgi-"

Hissing, Loki found his anger flaring at what she was about to suggest. "I promise to help you defeat the Dark wizard, Hermione," Loki said, his voice full of venom and regret. "But I can't promise that I'll be able to forgive you for what you did."

"Loki, I-" she started but he held up a hand, silencing her argument. She swallowed back her own remorse for the situation. She hated herself for breaking his trust and causing him to have to go on the run. She fully understood his willingness to help save the wizarding world but not find it in his heart to forgive her. She'd truly messed up whatever they'd shared. She may still love Loki, but as of right now, there was no way to know how he felt about her.

"I know you are sorry for turning me over to the Avengers and causing my need to disappear, but I do not want to hear your apologies." Unsheathing a dagger from the void, a sinister smile crept onto his face as he accepted their fate and whatever the future wrought. "Let's go and catch us a monster and leave it at that."

Hermione nodded and turned to lead the way from the cave. As they left his hiding space behind, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what would happen once they were all reunited with the Avengers and her team from the Magical Law Enforcement department. There would be many questions to answer and explanations to give, but she would handle that part. She would do as Loki asked and leave it at that, if only because she hoped that there might be a future for them after everything was settled. A future where Loki trusted her again and she found it in herself to admit to her faults.


End file.
